New recruitment program to train next generation

Ergon Energy has announced its new apprenticeship recruitment campaign, which will recruit and train the next generation of power industry field and substation professionals.

General Manager Operational Support, Jeff Green, said Ergon and Energex were offering 100 positions at 47 locations across the state, including 69 new roles in regional and rural Queensland.

“Most apprenticeships are offered to local people so they can develop their skills while remaining in the community with their family and friends,” he said.

Mr Green said this year’s recruitment campaign would again aim to produce a diverse range of successful applicants, including a greater percentage of women and candidates of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent.

“The network businesses have a strong focus on being representative of the communities they serve, so I encourage people of all backgrounds, whether they are soon to complete Year 12 or are mature-aged, to consider applying for this great opportunity to learn a valuable trade,” he said.

Mr Green said the apprenticeship intake demonstrated the companies’ commitment to ensuring they had the front-line staff required now and into the future to deliver a safe and reliable electricity supply to customers.

“The importance of having a highly trained workforce is evident from our response to natural disasters right across the state, when hundreds of crews work to restore power to communities impacted by cyclones, storms and floods,” he said.

“Most of the crews working in those situations began their careers in the industry as apprentices, just like next year’s intake will, and the value and reliance the community places on their work is clear for all to see.”

Lauren ‘LJ’ Butler is the Assistant Editor of Utility magazine and has been part of the team at Monkey Media since 2018.

After completing a Bachelor of Media, Communications and Professional Writing at the University of Wollongong in 2014, and prior to writing about the utility sector, LJ worked as a Journalist and Sub Editor across the horticulture, hardware, power equipment, construction and accommodation industries with publishers such as Glenvale Publications, Multimedia Publishing and Bean Media Group.